Related: Brushless vs Brushed Drills: What the Difference Actually Costs You
Every cordless drill and drilling guide question I get lands on the same two things: what turns the bit, and what keeps it straight. I ran a contracting crew in Cleveland for 22 years, and I have watched more drills die than most people will ever own. Not one of them died because the box lied about torque. They died because a chuck slipped, a battery platform dried up, or somebody tried to drill a straight hole by eye and then blamed the tool.
That is this whole guide. Four tools: two drills and two drilling guides. Two of them cut the hole, two of them make sure the hole goes where you aimed it. Hanging shelves in a garage and framing a basement do not need the same answer, so let me sort it out.
The drill most people should buy first: DeWalt DCD771B
The DCD771B is a bare tool, and that word does more work than any number printed on the box. No battery, no charger, no case. If you already own DeWalt 20V MAX batteries, this is the cheapest honest way to add a second drill to the truck. If you do not, you are buying into a platform, and that is a ten year decision rather than a weekend one.
The layout is the one I trust on a compact: a 1/2 inch keyless chuck, a two speed gearbox, and an adjustable clutch collar. That combination covers pilot holes, hole saws in drywall, spade bits through framing, and cabinet screws driven with the clutch set low. It is light enough to hold overhead while you line up a hinge, which is the part no spec sheet ever mentions.
Where people go wrong is asking a drill to do an impact driver's job. If your day is three inch deck screws, buy the drill for drilling and an impact driver for driving. A clutch will drive screws fine, but the clutch is a wear item and you will be fiddling with the collar all afternoon instead of working.
The one box answer: Craftsman V20 drill/driver kit
The CMCD700C1 takes the opposite approach: drill, battery, and charger in a single box, ready the day it lands. For a first drill that matters more than torque numbers. Nothing kills a project faster than a bare tool and a wait on a battery that has not shipped yet.
Now the part I will not sugarcoat. Craftsman V20 is not the platform I would build a career on. If your income depends on the tool, spend the money inside the DeWalt or Milwaukee ecosystem, where batteries and parts are still on the shelf years down the road. What this kit gives you is a complete, working 1/2 inch drill and driver for a fraction of the entry cost, and for somebody who drills twice a month, that is a fair trade rather than a bad one.
One habit worth keeping: check the chuck in the first week. A chuck that slips on day one never stops slipping. Put a 1/2 inch spade bit in it, bore a scrap of pine, and if the bit spins in the jaws, send it back. Do not baby it and hope it settles in.
Straight holes on site: Kreg KDG-6000 portable drilling guide
The Kreg fixes the biggest lie in woodworking, which is that you can drill a straight hole by eye. Six hardened drill guides in one block, and the block clamps to the work so the bit has nowhere to wander. For dowel joints, shelf pins, and any hole that has to be square to the face, this is the difference between a joint that closes and a joint you fight with a file.
It is not a drill press and it does not pretend to be one. It is what you reach for when the workpiece is too big to carry to the drill press, which in a garage or a basement is nearly always.
Because it does not care what is spinning the bit, it pairs with any of the drills here. Match the bit shank to the guide, clamp down, and let the block do the aiming while you focus on keeping the drill level.
Round stock and corners: Milescraft 1307 Drill Block PRO
The Milescraft covers 25 guide sizes from 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch in 1/64 inch increments, all metal, with a dual V-groove for round stock and corners. The V-groove is the reason to own it. Lay a dowel or a closet rod in the groove, clamp, and you can bore through the center of round stock without building a jig first.
Where it beats the Kreg is variety of sizes and the round stock trick. Where the Kreg beats it is the hardened guides and the clamping setup, which is what you want when you are drilling the same joint fifty times in an afternoon.
For a homeowner with a list of odd jobs, this is the more useful block. For a cabinet installer who repeats the same joint all day, the Kreg is the one that survives the repetition.
The four tools side by side
Same four tools, stripped down to the things that actually decide the purchase.
| Tool | What it is | Power | Best for | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Visit on Amazon →DeWalt DCD771B compact drill driver |
Compact drill driver | 20V MAX, bare tool | Second drill, pilot holes, cabinet work | No battery or charger in the box |
 Visit on Amazon →Craftsman V20 drill/driver kit |
Drill and driver kit | 20V, battery and charger included | A first drill that works out of the box | Platform longevity is the trade |
 Visit on Amazon →Kreg portable drilling guide |
Clamping drilling guide | Hand tool | Dowels, shelf pins, square holes | Six hardened guides, clamps to the work |
 Visit on Amazon →Milescraft 1307 Drill Block PRO |
Handheld drill block | Hand tool | Round stock, corners, mixed sizes | 25 guide sizes, dual V-groove |
How I sort a drill from a drill shaped object
Four things decide whether a tool stays on my truck.
The chuck comes first. A chuck that slips is a tool that lies, and no torque claim on the box fixes it. I want jaws that bite a fresh bit on the first twist and hold it under load, not jaws that need a second crank every time you change a bit.
The battery platform comes second, and it is the real purchase. The drill is just the first tool you hang on the system. Ten years from now you are still married to that platform, so pick the one where batteries and parts are still on the shelf, and let the drill follow.
The motor comes third. Brushless is not a marketing word. It is the difference between a tool that lasts a season and a tool that lasts a decade, because there are no carbon brushes to wear down to nothing.
The last one is weight. A compact drill that you can hold overhead while you set a cabinet beats a heavier drill with a bigger number on the box, every single time.
The guides are simpler. A drilling guide either holds the bit square and stays clamped, or it wanders and takes your knuckles with it. Hardened guides and a solid clamp matter more than the size of the block.
Should you buy the DeWalt DCD771B?
Yes, if you already own DeWalt 20V MAX batteries. A bare tool is a bad first purchase and a great second purchase. As a second drill for pilot holes, cabinet work, and the jobs where you do not want to swap bits out of your main drill, it earns its spot.
If you are starting from nothing, price the batteries and charger before you commit, because the bare tool number is only half the story. Add it up first and then decide.
Should you buy the Craftsman V20 kit?
If you want one box that works the day it arrives, and you are drilling around the house rather than hanging your income on it, this kit is a reasonable place to start. Battery and charger are included, which is the whole point of a kit.
Just go in with your eyes open. It is a homeowner tool on a homeowner platform, and that is a fine thing to be. It is not the system I would hand an apprentice on a Monday morning and expect to see again in five years.
Do you need a drilling guide?
If your holes need to be square to a face, or centered in a dowel or a rod, yes. Hands wander and drill bits follow the grain, and no amount of practice fixes that completely.
The Kreg is the pick for repeated joinery work where the clamp and the hardened guides do the heavy lifting. The Milescraft is the pick for variety, round stock, and corners, and for a homeowner it covers more of the odd jobs that actually come up.
Buy the drill that matches the work and the guide that matches the hole. That is the whole decision, and it has not changed since I was carrying a corded drill up a ladder in the snow.